Since the end of Season 2 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters left the ragtag group of scientists, military folks, and Titan enthusiasts who have come together over the last several years at a crossroads as Monarch hit the restart button and began anew with Dr. Keiko Randa (Mari Yamamoto) at the helm of its new research arm.
But it looks like Monarch may be hitting the restart button in more ways than one. Apple TV and Legendary Television are reportedly in talks for a third season, but with some major changes behind the scenes.
According to Deadline, the MonsterVerse series is looking for a new showrunner and writing team to take over from cocreator Chris Black, with plans to introduce new Titans from Legendary’s ever-expanding MonsterVerse. Whether that means saying goodbye to some familiar faces from the first two seasons remains to be seen.
The series has been a hit for Apple TV, as fans of the original Toho films have rejoiced in seeing their favorite Titans romp around the four corners of the Earth, causing chaos. But with a possible creative shakeup on the horizon, what does that mean for the future of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?
Here is everything we know so far about Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 3, including its renewal status, who could return, and what to expect from the next chapter of MonsterVerse mayhem.
Will there be a Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 3?
As of the writing of this piece, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has not officially been renewed for Season 3, but Apple TV and Legendary Television are reportedly in talks to bring the series back with some major changes. Plans are underway to find a new showrunner and writing team, with the potential third season introducing new Titans from the MonsterVerse. Whether the original cast will return remains to be seen.
How did Season 2 end?
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Keiko steps into her rightful place as head of Monarch 2.0, a leaner operation focused on “more flexible, more nimble…back to basics: science and discovery, as the founders intended,” with Cate (Anna Sawai), Tim (Joe Tippett), and May (Kiersey Clemons) by her side. Their first task: finding Kentaro (Ren Watabe) and Isabel (Amber Midthunder), and stopping his reckless mission to use the Axis Mundi to find a version of Hiroshi that is alive. Monarch is a family business again.
Also, Apex and Isabel are trying to capitalize on the Axis Mundi by charging the very wealthy, allowing them to use it to halt deadly diseases in their tracks as they remain inside the time rift while real-time scientists search for a cure. The only problem? They have to eliminate those pesky Titans.
Meanwhile, Lee is on a mysterious mission that takes him to a coastal country halfway around the world, trailing Isabel and Kentaro. Moving through the remote jungle, he finds what he’s been searching for: a volcano, with a massive new Titan perched atop it…Rodan.
What will happen in Season 3?
People have realized the practical uses of the Axis Mundi and its ability to create significant time dilation, where a short stay inside (for example, one day) can equal a much longer duration (about a year). For those who are deathly ill, it can buy the time needed for science to find a cure. Now, people like Apex and Isabel want to exploit it for wealthy clients and the desperate, while Keiko and Monarch want to study the Titans that reside within it.
Expect this to spark a massive clash between the two groups, as one side will want to remove the pesky Titans blocking access to the rifts and the Axis Mundi, while the people at Monarch are determined to protect them.
Furthermore, if different points in time within the Axis Mundi can be accessed, it could effectively become a time machine, giving our heroes a chance to save Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira), who was once trapped within its borders. But is it right to manipulate such a force for the benefit of man?
“As a person and an actor, I find it really interesting to pose these questions. That’s what you hope to do in a sci-fi show in this situation. What happens when you play God?” said Yamamoto. “We all wish we could change time and the things we’ve done, and if we could see somebody again — all of these things, we all have these wishes, but to what consequence, to what damage?”
“I think [what] we’ve seen this season was literally about that. Like Kate trying to save Lee and opening up this whole horror, but she steps it up, and it’s a redemption story for her. They have to learn that they can’t play God,” explained the actress.
Then there is also the issue of Rodan, the latest mega Titan introduced in the final moments of the finale. One of the more iconic monsters in the MonsterVerse, this winged creature sits atop a volcano, waiting to cause havoc.
It is just a brief glimpse of Rodan, but according to FX supervisor Sean Konrad, that restraint is necessary, as it is Lee’s reaction to the creature that matters most. While the design of the Titans is important, he explains, they still need human characters to anchor them in reality.
“We always want to feel our Titans off-screen when they’re there, and not necessarily like, if you can feel them off-screen, then it helps the audience feel like there’s more presence of that in the story,” explained Konrad. “The restraint aspect of it is it comes down to if we need to really understand how characters are feeling about a moment, and our characters are the most important part of our story.
Apple TV
Konrad also spoke about bringing more of the franchise’s epic mythology to the big screen, and the pros and cons of working with iconic material.
“One of the things is more the mythology that sort of creates interesting ways that Godzilla can’t be seen in public,” said Konrad. “We always wanted to do Godzilla in Tokyo, but we couldn’t necessarily do that in reality. So we had to do that as a dream sequence. And that’s more the limiting thing. I think we can always find new angles and ways to tell novel stories within the mythology.”
While plot details for Season 3 have not been revealed, the series is reportedly looking to take things in a new direction, introducing new Titans from Legendary’s MonsterVerse. Whether the story will continue following the Randa family and the current storylines set up in Season 2 or shift its focus to an entirely new group of characters remains to be seen.
Will there be a spinoff series for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?
Yes. Apple TV will expand Legendary’s Monsterverse with an untitled Young Lee Shaw prequel starring Wyatt Russell , who will reprise his role as Colonel Lee Shaw. Screenwriter and producer Joby Harold has been tapped to run the series.
Starring and executive produced by Russell, the spinoff series will follow the story of Shaw, an American operative who, in 1984, “went on a secret mission behind enemy lines in an attempt to stop the Soviets from unleashing a horrific new Titan big enough to destroy the U.S. and turn the tide of the Cold War.”
Who will star in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 3?
With the series reportedly looking at a creative overhaul for Season 3, it’s unclear which cast members will return.
The first two seasons starred Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski, Amber Midthunder, alongside Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell, who share a role playing the younger and older versions of the character Lee Shaw.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Seasons 1 and 2, Streaming now, Apple TV
